Together
by Manamanah49
Summary: They would love each other, always. And while Castle and Beckett are determined to be together, neither knew just what that would mean. LockSat is still out there, and Castle's missing memories may hold a key to tracking them down. A possible ending to Season 8, post Mr. and Mrs. Castle.
1. Chapter 1

_About 2 years ago:_

Richard Castle is sitting in the conference room. He's waiting, rather impatiently, for these CIA guys to give him the go-ahead and send him home. He's leaning forward slightly, hands folded in front of him on the table, visualizing the next 24 hours. He can't wait to see Kate again. He needs, first and foremost, to apologize for missing their wedding. Considering his reason, however, he's sure she'll understand. Well, he hopes she will. But it's a very optimistic sort of hope. She would know that nothing less than savings thousands of innocent lives would have kept him from her. Still, he didn't exactly get a choice on the timing of his (quite explosive) exit, nor did he get to determine the length of his time away. It's only been three weeks, but it has felt like forever. And considering the state the CIA left his car in on the day of their wedding, the day they made him disappear, he is sure that those weeks were even harder on her.

He looks up when he hears someone entering the room, and a genuine smile spreads across his face when he sees the agent who was assigned to handle his discharge from the agency. Rogers, Castle thinks. He's pretty sure that was his name. Or what he claimed his name was. One never knew when dealing with these guys. Whatever the case, Rick was happy to see him. It meant he was one step closer to going home. But when the agent sees his grin, he only gives him a tight smile in return. "Thanks again, Mr. Castle," he tells him. "Your help in securing Bilal is greatly appreciated. He's already settling in to his new life, and that is largely thanks to you."

"Good." Castle replies. But his smile is fading. Somethings wrong. The guys looking twitchy. And that file…it looks like it has more than just release forms and confidentiality agreements. Still he keeps his tone light as he adds, "Glad to help. Now take me home." Rogers doesn't respond right away, and Castle's bad feeling is growing steadily worse. Struggling to keep his voice even and free of accusation, he speaks again. "Is there something else?"

The CIA agent is looking at his paperwork, and now Rick is sure he is squirming, if ever so slightly. After one more brief hesitation and a deep breath, Rogers finally looks up and says, "We need your help on something else…something…related to you."

No. The word slams up in Castle's mind like iron gates clanging shut. He is not getting involved. He's done with all of this cloak and dagger. A love of conspiracy and intrigue he has, but right now? All he wants is to get back home, back to Kate, to start making up for his lost time.

Still…he can't help but be just a little bit curious. "What do you mean, 'related to me'?" He keeps his tone hard as he asks his question, curious does not mean conceding.

Rogers looks up and now Rick sees the CIA agent in him coming out. The resolve in Rogers' face matches his own. "When was the last time you saw your father?" Rogers asks.

Castle is proud of himself. He doesn't even blink at the question. He does, however, think for a moment before replying, casting his mind back to the last time he and Jackson Hunt crossed paths. It wasn't exactly the most touching father-son reunion. "A few months ago," Castle finally answers. "He was working undercover trying to find a mole in your organization. But you already know that."

Rogers' mouth twists a little, and he tilts his head, his eyes glancing down briefly to the file still in his hands. When they flick back up towards him, Rick sees the warning there. _Brace yourself._ And for good reason. The agent doesn't mince his next words. "We believe your father has gone rogue."

It was a blow Castle didn't expect. Not from them. Not from the very organization that threw his father into the mission that got him shot and stumbling to his door. Not from the place that kept Jackson Hunt from ever being a real father to him, a real grandfather to Alexis. Castle clenches his teeth. His happy, or at least neutral façade is forgotten. "That…that is…" He shakes his head, getting up and starting to pace. He wants to rage at them. Everything his father has given up for this agency, everything Rick himself has given them in just the last few weeks. "Jackson Hunt would never turn on you guys, that's just…ridiculous. It's impossible." He knows shouting won't help, but his rising anger means he can't really help his rise in volume.

The agent doesn't back down, however. In fact, judging by his calm, if somewhat put-upon, demeanor, he seems to have expected this response. "Hear me out," he says, voice firm but placating, then goes a touch softer he adds, "Please."

It's the please that stops Castle from arguing. He breathes in deeply through his nose, and forces himself relax little as he exhales. He makes his way back to his chair and sits back down before nodding at Rogers.

The agent quickly launches into the explanation "Your father was assigned to try to find a mole in the CIA. Last we heard from him he was confident he was getting closer. But a few months ago, he went dark. We haven't heard from him at all since then. Thanks to some sources of other operatives, we believe he is now involved in a drug operation, very high level. It's known as Locksat. Evidence suggests he's actually become a higher-up in the organization." Rogers pauses, but Castle doesn't respond. The agent seems to take this as a sign to continue. "We don't believe he is the mole he was originally assigned to track down," he goes on, "but we do think he's working with him now, maybe playing both sides through him now. Or maybe planning to do that on his own when he resurfaces. Whatever the case, we need to find him. We need to definitively determine what role he's decided to play. And we need to know if he has completely turned or not."

Rick heaves a sigh. Sometime during that last bit he started staring at his hands. Particularly his left one. The one he's supposed to have a ring on by now. He doesn't want his father being falsely labeled as a rouge operative. And if this was a year ago, or even a year from now…but he's not CIA. He's not even a real cop. And he doesn't owe any of them anything. And he owes his fiancé quite a bit, including a reunion by the end of the day. He looks back up at the agent, waits a beat, then says, "Well, good luck with that." He immediately begins to rise.

"We need your help Mr. Castle," Rogers says, but it's not the words that make Castle sink back down before he even realizes it. There's a pleading note in his tone that Castle hasn't often heard, and never from a fed. And never ever from a CIA agent.

His surprise, however, wars with his frustration. "Why?" he demands. "What can I do? I don't know anything."

"You know more than you think. You have proven to be an excellent investigator, when you shadowed here, with the NYPD, and even on your own. And you handled yourself well with this extraction. You can help us find the truth."

"How? What do you want me to do?" He's almost shouting again, because some part of his brain is making a last-ditch effort to keep fighting, to not give in to this madness.

"We want you to use your skills, your contacts, and," he adds in a quieter, almost humorous tone, "our money, along with your connection to Jackson Hunt to find your father. Find out what's really going on, and if there is possibly a light at the end of this tunnel."

Castle is now staring up at the ceiling. So close. He is so close to going home. He's pretty sure that bit about the light at the end of the tunnel was for his sake. From the doubt in his voice, it's quite obvious that Rogers believes the rouge operative theory. Castle almost wants to believe him. It would be simpler. Because that man…he's not his family. He's used Castle and nearly got him killed. But…Jackson is still his father. And he saved Alexis. Granted, she wouldn't have been in that situation if not for Jackson in the first place, but…still. Rick knows his father didn't go rogue. And if he turned his back on him now there was no telling how far the CIA might go to keep him from spilling their secrets. In which case, Castle is his father's best chance at staying alive.

Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, Castle looks back at Rogers, resigned to his fate. Beckett's going to kill him. "Ok. Let's get started then."

Rogers nods and sits down across from him, opening the file he's been holding and spreading out some of the documents and pictures inside. And as Castle gets his first glimpse at his new assignment, he immediately begins pleading with his fiancé in his head. "Oh Kate, forgive me."


	2. Chapter 2

_Just under 2 years ago:_

Castle walks up to the car as the older man with the silver gray hair and matching goatee starts to exit. He moves to block the man, and while the guy stops, it's the only sign of him being startled that Castle sees.

That does not stop the grin he flashes at the older man. "Hello Dad," Rick says, "Long time, no see." His tone is perhaps a little more sarcastic than he intended. Jackson deserves it though. It's been over two months since Rick last saw his family. Two months since he left those messages for them in case something happens to him. Kate may never forgive him for the pain he is causing her. He will try to make her forgive him though. Work hard at it, harder than anything he's worked at before. Give it everything he has. But that's later. He pushes those thoughts aside, because right now he needs the information he came for and he wasn't going to allow anything, especially his own distraction, to stop him from getting it.

"Rick, what are doing here?" Jackson responds, his surprise only slightly evident in his voice. It's there, though, and Castle can't help but feel a little happy about that.

"Oh I was just checking out a few possible honeymoon destinations, and I thought, why not here?" He rolled his eyes. "Looking for you, what do you think?"

"You can't be here" Jackson says, almost desperately, Rick notices.

But that still won't stop him from asking his questions. "Dad, they said you went rogue. What's going on?" Jackson's mouth tightens. "I need to know," Rick presses, but his tone has softened to something more pleading.

Jackson opens his mouth, and in that second Rick thinks he sees some give there in his father's expression, but it quickly changes to what Castle can only describe as horror as Jackson notices something behind his son. He moves to push Castle out of the way, shouting "NO, NO, Don't!"

Rick turns around, and he barely registers the three men that are moving towards them, before he feels a searing pain in his abdomen. His hand automatically flies to his stomach and he knows before he brings it away covered in blood that he's been shot. He didn't see the guns. He can't even remember hearing one fire. But only one question fights its way through the increasing haze in his mind to the front. He turns back towards his father. His dad. "Why?" he asks, and then his knees buckle, and as he collapses to the ground, everything goes black.

* * *

Rick wakes up to his father's face staring at him. He's smiling. Well, smirking. "Thought I lost you there, son" Jackson says, not too quietly. "How you feeling?"

His head is pounding and his throat feels dry, but that doesn't stop him from shooting out his questions. "What happened? Who were those guys? And why'd they shoot me?" Rick realizes he is actually hollering, or trying to, when the pain centralized in his abdomen shoots through his whole body. He inhales sharply. Great. What's Kate going to say when she sees this?

"Sorry about that. A little…misunderstanding." Jackson replies.

Rick notices his father glance up as though he's keeping watch for something, but it doesn't keep him from continuing his almost-yelling. "A little misunderstanding! Are you kidding me?" He only winces this time when the pain comes again.

"Those guys are my security detail. They like to shoot first and ask questions later. They saw you approach the car and thought I needed…securing." Jackson gives Rick that little smirk again. When he sees Castle's face he sobers. Trying to do his best loving father impression, he adds, "You'll be fine."

"Well I don't feel fine." Rick snapped back. If anything his father's mediocre attempt at comforting only made him more irritated. Jackson got him shot!

"Oh stop," the older man replies sounding fondly exasperated. "I've been through much worse. Compared to the one at your loft this is nothing."

What touching fatherly compassion, Castle thought. He would never treat Alexis or any future children like he's been treated by his father. At that thought, Rick paused and closed his eyes – assuming he gets to have his family back. Why is he here? And where is here, anyway?

"How's your patient, Jackson?" a new voice asks, and Rick is startled back to the present. Two men are entering the room. The one who spoke is an older Latino man, close to his father's age, Rick surmises. He's only a little heftier than Jackson, with only a little grey hair, but he's clean shaven and definitely not in as good as shape. Could be the CIA mole, Castle thinks. The second man is younger, in his early 30's, Rick thinks. Of Indian descent perhaps? He's in relatively good shape, has a beard, brown eyes.

"Alive," Jackson responds to the older man's question.

The man chuckles, but it's without much humor. Rick suppresses a shiver, and the man turns to him. "What are you doing here, Mr. Castle?" So much for pleasantries, Rick thinks. Alright, he can play along.

"Looking for my father" he responds flatly.

"And if you found him?" The younger man jumps in, his tone snarky. Rick looks at him. Five words for Castle to decide he already doesn't like this guy. Five words for Castle to notice that his accent sounds a little more American than he would have expected.

"Ask him for lunch I guess," Rick shoots back. "Got any suggestions for a good restaurant around here?"

The younger man turns his back on Castle, and speaks instead to the older man. "We need to finish this. Let's get what information he has and get out of here."

The older man nods in agreement, although he is definitely better at keeping his expression neutral. He turns to Jackson. "Get Mr. Castle ready," he orders. "Let's find out what he knows."

* * *

Two days after being shot, and Castle is still in pain. Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that out here, morphine is probably in short supply. But Castle isn't just sore from the bullet wound anymore.

He watches and tries not to hiss from the stinging sensations as Jackson attends to his wounds. His father isn't saying much. His 'friends', on the other hand, have said plenty. Well, asked plenty, for the most part. And their questions came with some … additional incentives for truthful answers. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on whose side you were on, since Castle really didn't know anything except what he had already told them, there was nothing for him to divulge. Rogers hadn't let him see much past those top few pages of that file. It took the better part of the last forty-eight hours to convince them, with a break somewhere in there during which Castle was allowed to sleep at the same time they did. Of course, they had cushiony mattresses while he had to sleep tied uncomfortably to a chair, but they eventually seemed satisfied that he wasn't holding anything back.

Now, with his father fixing him up, Castle is hoping this means they might be willing to let him walk out of here. Maybe between him and Jackson they can find a way to leave. Or at least Castle could get out and have the CIA send in an extraction team for Jackson. At this point, Rick would be happy just to get a message out and wait for someone to rescue them both. Of course, that was assuming his father hadn't gone rogue. Castle hadn't quite gotten around to starting _that_ conversation yet. Even so, Jackson had kept him alive so far, so he was inclined to believe his father was still one of the good guys.

That belief was the light at the end of Castle's tunnel, but it's a light that grows dimmer when one of the men that interrogated him walks into the room. It's the young bearded man that Castle had disliked instantly when he first woke up after being shot. After their 'conversations' over the last couple of days, Rick can say that his dislike has unequivocally evolved into a loathing.

Beard walks straight up to Jackson, hovering over Castle but not looking at him. "We need to finish this," he growls, then bringing up his hand to point into Jackson's face, adds, " _You_ need to finish this."

Jackson doesn't even blink, and he just stares back silently at the other man, looking almost bored. Beard must not like this, because he continues at nearly a shout, "You've been ordered to put an end to … this." The last word is accompanied by vague hand gestures that Rick is pretty sure are meant to indicate him.

"Crap," Castle thinks. "So much for happily ever after." He only realizes he said that out loud when Jackson's gaze shifts and he glances down at him. Castle clamps his mouth shut, not needing to be told to stay out of this discussion.

"I want to talk to the old man first," Jackson replies looking back up at Beard. His tone is calm, but brooks no argument. After watching the other man for a few more seconds, he turns his attention back to the bandage he's applying to Castle's side.

Castle looks over at Beard again, but the guy is still ignoring him. His face looks like he just bit into a lemon for a moment, but it quickly turns into a mildly annoyed expression and he rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Not like you're gonna get him to say any different."

* * *

If Jackson Hunt was another man, he might have given in to the order to 'take care of' his son. After all, when working deep cover ops you tend not to just walk on the edge of the borderline but jump right over it. The end justifies the means. If Jackson Hunt was another man, he might have considered this an acceptable loss.

But Jackson Hunt did not see this as acceptable. There was only one thing he would put above any op, any assignment, any order, and that was his family. One enemy figured this out, and that nearly cost his granddaughter her life. But he saved her, with Rick's assistance. And now he would save Rick. Nothing would prevent him from saving his son. He would do whatever it took to get Rick out. However, if he could do it while still keeping his cover intact, that would be preferable. And he had an idea of just how to do that.

When Jackson walks into the old man's office, he sees the bearded man there, too. Not ideal, but no matter, he'll just ignore him, it's the boss that he has to convince. Jackson doesn't waste time with pleasantries. He's learned this guy likes you to get straight to the point, unless he wants to put on a show. "You're wasting an ideal opportunity here," Jackson tells him. The other man's response is simply to look up and raise an eyebrow, but Jackson knows that means he's listening. He keeps his tone casual, but doesn't cover all of the enthusiasm in his voice. He has to sell the idea, after all. "You've been wanting to test that new memory drug. I know we planned on…outsourcing that to someone in the city. But there's no reason to. We've got the perfect subject right here."

The old man wouldn't be in the position he is if he wasn't quick. "Your son," he says. It's not a question, but Jackson gives him a half nod, half bow in acknowledgement. The old man stares back at him. He's considering, but he has a good poker face. But then, so does Jackson. After a moment, the man nods back. "I'm listening."

"We give him enough that he doesn't even remember that he was asked to come out here. We can wait a couple of days, test him, make sure it's working. Give him a top up to erase those memories, too. And once we know it works, we can deliver him back to his life in New York and no one will ever know."

"And if it doesn't stick?"

Jackson shrugs. "I'll keep an eye on him," he says, then levels his gaze at the other man. "If it comes back to him, I'll kill him myself." He inwardly braces against the lies, but no one else would ever know he was being anything but truthful. "He's my son, I'd like to see him live, but I have my priorities."

Jackson watches as the man sits back in his chair and looks away, forefingers of both hands steepled as he thinks. The bearded man, however, seems to have run out of patience. "This is a terrible idea," he suddenly exclaims. "Let's just kill him now and be done with it."

The older man looks up at the bearded one at his outburst. His expression is half-irritated, half-amused. He shakes his head. "No. Jackson's plan is a good one. We've been wanting to test this. We know there would be questions if we took someone from the city. And our colleague's son will get to walk away with his life. This is a win-win." He turns to Jackson. "Prepare our patient."

Jackson smiles and walks out.

* * *

Castle has lost track of time. There's too much pain, both external and internal, and exhaustion doesn't help. So he isn't sure if it's minutes or hours later when his father finally comes back into the room he's in and tells him to sit up. He starts moving around the room and messing with other bits of equipment that Castle only vaguely recognizes. Just when he decides to ask Jackson about it though, in comes the old man, whom Castle has learned is in charge of this place, and Beard. Great, a twofer.

Beard still pretty much ignores him, but the old man comes up to him, almost smiling, but it's probably closer to a smirk. "We're sending you home Mr. Castle," he says.

Castle is sure his surprise is evident in his face. "That's…good to hear." He hesitates a moment, because his brain tells him not to question the bad guy's good mood slash change of heart. But he knows there has to be a downside to this, and he really can't stop himself from asking, "What's the catch?"

The old man's smile is almost a grin now. "Smart man," he acknowledges. "You're going to help us with a little experiment. You might have realized what sort of business we run, but even if you haven't, all you really need to know about is our most recent creation. We have developed a new little cocktail that we think will sell very well. A memory wipe."

Castle's eyes widen. He doesn't like where this is going.

"And what's special about this particular blend," the old man continues, "is that you can control how far back the subject's memory is destroyed. A day, a month," he pauses, and looks pointedly at Castle, "or three." Castle forces himself to keep his expression neutral. Then the old man shrugs and steps back. "Well that's the theory they have," he says. "We've haven't tested it yet."

And now Castle panics. No, no no no no. They are not testing this on him. They can't. Never mind the last three months, he'd almost like to forget how long he's been away from his family. But what if they use too much, what if they take more then they plan to? There is no way he is taking a chance on forgetting Kate, their love, their history. No way. And if it went back farther? Would he forget Alexis growing up? They can't do this. He won't allow it. "You think I'm just going to let you test that stuff on me?" he asks harshly. "That's not gonna happen."

Beard walks toward him, apparently finished pretending not to notice him. "You weren't asked," he says nastily. "You have no choice."

"Actually you do," the old man interjects. "It's this, or just kill you now and be done with it."

Rick steels himself. "Go ahead," he bites out. It's a half-bluff, because he refuses to just let them take his memories but he also knows he doesn't hold any power here. He's well aware that he is teetering on the edge of death. A wave of emotion floods over him at the thought of dying here. What will Kate do now? Will she be safe? Who will protect her? He just wants to go home to her and his family. He should never have agreed to this assignment. All the complaining he has done to Kate about her diving into her rabbit holes, and here he did the exact same thing. Except this time, he might not be coming back out.

The old man chuckles. "Don't be so dramatic, Mr. Castle. It's just a needle."

Castle looks over at his father preparing the syringe. He knows Jackson put himself on the line to get this much, and he is sure now that he hasn't gone rouge. There's nothing concrete to tell him that, but he knows it. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much he can do about it now. If he could just come up with a way to tell his father he needs to contact the CIA and explain this, get these two madmen out of commission. If that happens, Jackson also might eventually be able to give him back the pieces of his memory that he's about to lose once this is all over. He knows he'll wonder.

As Jackson stands next to Castle and starts disinfecting a spot on his arm, a plan formulates in Rick's mind. Castle looks up at his father and says, "Tell Mother I love her."

Jackson inserts the needle and then looks at him as he starts to administer the drug. Castle sees the flash of light in his eyes. His father leans closer to Rick's ear and whispers "I will".

Castle smiles up at him. He knows his father got the message. And for a moment Rick gets to feel like his dad is letting him know that it will all be ok, a feeling he didn't get growing up, but means so much more today. As things start to get blurry, Rick finds himself again apologizing to his fiancé. It's not easy to breathe. He still somehow manages to mumble, "I'm sorry, Kate." Then, nothing.

* * *

 **Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed after the first chapter. Hope you enjoy the rest of this story!**


	3. Chapter 3

_Present Day_

Castle watches as Vikram Singh exits Beckett's office. He practically barged in thirty seconds ago with something to tell Kate – Castle doesn't know what that was since the other guy pretty much refused to speak in his presence. Well, except to ask Castle what he's doing here. In his wife's office. Seriously?

Rick really doesn't like Vikram, but it's starting to be less of an annoyance and more of a twinge of something…bad. He doesn't know how else to describe it. Castle asks her. He knows, _he knows_ , something isn't right. He just can't put his finger on it. Yet. He turns to Beckett without preamble. "Kate, how much do you know about Vikram?"

She looks over at him, her raised eyebrow indicating surprise at the question, but answering without hesitation. "He's not the ideal back up in the field," she says, "but he has helped move this LOCKSAT case forward."

Castle frowns slightly, considering.

"Why?" Kate asks "What are you thinking?"

"Just… I can't shake this feeling I have. That he's involved as more than just being your tech support. I can't explain it but..." Castle pauses, frustrated he can't pinpoint a reason for his suspicion.

Kate nods. "Ok," she says. "I know you wouldn't have said anything if you weren't really bothered by it. I believe he's on our side…" Castle opens his mouth to protest but she cuts him off. "But tell me what you're thinking. How would you write this story?"

Rick looks at her. He has to wonder if she'll even try to believe him. And the hardest part of all of this is that he just doesn't know anymore. After she left, all his confidence in knowing what she's thinking and feeling is gone. He can't tell what she'll say or how she'll react. He didn't think it would be so hard to rebuild that trust in her, in them, again, but it has been. It's been incredibly difficult, actually, since pretending to still be separated doesn't allow for much straight forward communication. But he does have to start trusting her again, whether she deserves it yet or not. He told her they would end this business with LOCKSAT together. That meant they _both_ had to trust each other.

Castle sits on the edge of her desk, angling himself to still face her. "Vikram's the one who started all this. He called you. What if he set you up?"

Kate's already shaking her head. "I don't think so, Rick. I was there. We were both running, and I saw the fear in his eyes."

"I understand that," Castle tells her. "But just hear me out."

He holds her gaze as she thinks about it for a moment, one that seems way too long to Castle. Finally, Beckett slowly nods for him to continue.

Castle starts again. "That fear you saw, it may be just what he wanted you to see. We agree it was an ambush for you where you first met at the theater, right?"

"Yeah."

"So what happened right after?"

* * *

Kate stares down at her hands as she sorts through her memories. It's been so long since she thought about that horrible day, but Kate recalls their harrowing escape from the theater clearly. She remembers getting in the car, how she was bleeding all over. And then…she wanted to call for backup. Her eyes snap back up to meet Castle's. "He took my phone and threw it out the window," she tells him. "He said they were tracking me through that."

She knows what he's going to say before he says it. "But what if they weren't?" He pauses long enough to let her process the idea, then adds, "What if that was a way of keeping you dependent on him and away from your team? From me?"

Beckett is starting to get queasy with where this is headed. She trusts Vikram. He is responsible for all the progress on the LOCKSAT case, finding the link to Vulcan Simmons, the garbage connection and now the lawyer. But…she trusts Castle more. Wild theories aside, his instincts are good. And when he's serious about something, he's very rarely wrong. And he is serious now. His questions are valid. What does she know about this case that he hasn't been instrumental in discovering? Not very much, even she has to admit.

She's not sure if Castle has noticed that he's got her listening, but she can hear his conviction starting to strengthen in his voice as he digs in. He's also up and pacing the room at this point. She's glad the blinds are down and the door is closed. "How did the assassin crew know about the safe house?" he quizzes her. "An abandoned building from a drug bust, not even converted by the NYPD yet, and still they found you."

"I don't know," she says, and she can hear the frantic tinge in her voice that she hates. She forces it level. "I figured they just followed me." She thinks back, trying to determine when exactly she gave them the chance to do so.

But Castle is already pushing forward with his scenario. "Was Vikram with you the whole time, Kate?"

"Yes," she answers, sure of it.

"He was never out of your sight?"

"No, never," she affirms. But then she stops. Every protest she was forming against his reasoning grinds to a halt. There was a time when she was alone. She remembers herself breaking down, crying because she had left Castle behind, and she was afraid, so scared that she was had lost him forever. There's a lump in her throat just from recalling those emotions. But she forces herself to think past all that, because it means that Vikram was left unattended for a few minutes. She looks up at Castle and says, "Actually, there was one point when he was in the other room, by himself. It wasn't long after that the crew showed up."

"That's not a coincidence Kate," Castle tells her. "You know that."

Beckett can't quite come to terms with what he's saying, but he takes her silence as a cue to continue.

"And look how much he's trying to keep us separated," he implores. "He's orchestrating this whole thing, Kate. Allison Hyde said she found evidence that Vikram was the mole. You chose not to believe her at the time, and that's fine, but now you have to ask yourself: How does an unarmed, untrained tech geek survive professional assassins when they successfully killed McCord and her team and nearly killed you? Even if he isn't the bad guy here, Kate, there's more to him than he's saying."

A part of her brain is telling her that Rick is right. Every point he's made is true. But the other part of her can't believe this, doesn't want to believe it. She couldn't be this wrong. Not for this long. Did Vikram really play her? How? She was supposed to be a detective, where was that part of her? Was she so blind, so obsessed with trying to get justice for McCord and her old team that she didn't even notice what was going on right in front of her?

"Ok, Rick," she says finally. "What you're saying makes sense. But I just don't think he is behind all of this." She says that last part more to calm herself down than to argue with him. Her confidence in Vikram is already starting to feel shaky. And she has never lost confidence in her husband. So she continues, "I do trust you, though. And I know we need to look into this."

Castle nods, looking relieved but still a little wary. She knows his caution towards her is her own fault. She's kept him in the dark all this time, not to hurt him, but to protect him. Only it ended up all for nothing, since she has damaged their relationship and she is still in as much danger as she ever was. Even if no one finds out that they're back together, she knows that his safety is as uncertain as hers. Still, she is determined to fix it, all of it, and she knows now that they are in it together.

"Can you put a tail on him?" Castle asks, and the sudden recoil at the idea pulls her back to the present.

She cringes, and Castle looks ready to say something else, but she quickly explains. "No, Castle. I can't get Ryan and Espo involved. Not yet." He backs off in his stance, a little, silently signaling for her to continue. "I can't make them a target. Ryan has another baby on the way," Beckett breaks off, shaking her head. "It's way too dangerous. We do need to look into Vikram, but we can't use them."

"Ok," Castle relents, and she can see in his expression that he does get it. Kevin and Javier are his friends as much as they are hers. "Then, Kate, let me start looking into him. You've got a point about the boys, but since it's too dangerous for the boys to do, let me."

Kate is standing and shaking her head vigorously before he even finishes speaking. "That's not any better, Castle," she says. "I told you before, I would die if something happened to you. I can't let you put yourself even more at risk."

"Kate," he says, and comes around her desk to put his hands on her shoulders. "I love you." His words are soft but his voice is firm, and become more forceful as he continues, "But you have to stop protecting me. I know you want to do this all on your own, I know you want to protect the people you care about. But you need help. You need my help." She feels conflicted. She hears what he's saying and knows he's right, but her worry for him forms a knot in the pit of her stomach. "I'll investigate him," he tells her. "I'll go old school, no police resources. He won't know a thing." He must be able to tell she's on the edge, and he must be able to see the fear in her eyes, because he tries to reassure her, "I'll be careful."

And, albeit reluctantly, she agrees. She really has no choice. She needs to know if Castle's right. Because if Vikram is really behind all of this, then she is in even more trouble than she thought.

* * *

The first thing Castle does when he gets to his PI office is call Haley in. It took a lot of convincing, but finally Beckett agreed to telling someone else what was happening. Haley was trustworthy. Rick knew it, and deep down so did Kate.

"So what do you want me to do?" Haley asks Castle once he's filled her in. Alexis is at class, so it's just the two of them.

"I need you to start digging," Castle replies. "Go as far back as you can and see if his story checks out. But we need to do this quietly. He can't catch us, no mistakes here. Use your contacts across the pond instead of the ones here if you can, see if they know anything. But above all, let's try to stay off the grid. If he's involved he will know if we look into anything about him electronically."

Castle is sure she can see how anxious he is about this. Aside from his mother and daughter, it's Haley who has seen the toll these last few months have taken on him. He's not surprised, but is still absolutely grateful, when she promises to do her best and get back to him as quickly as she can.

And then she leaves. And the office is quiet again. And he registers that sick feeling in his stomach again and wonders if he'll ever be permanently rid of it.

* * *

A few days later, Castle is tired of waiting for Haley to find something on her end, so he decides to show up at the precinct and see if he can scare up anything there. He kind of wants to see Vikram's face when he is around. Will it give anything away?

He takes the familiar route to the Twelfth Precinct, taps his foot a bit during the lonely elevator ride up, and finally crosses the bullpen to enter Kate's office. "Hey there," he greets her.

"Castle, what are you doing here?" Kate says, surprised. She's glad to see him, but Vikram is here, on the couch in her office holding some files, and she can't let on they are back together, especially not now.

"Just wanted to stop by and see if there's any cases I could help with," Rick responds, giving her a warm, slightly teasing smile.

It's the smile that melts Kate every time, and it doesn't fail today. A quick look at Vikram erases that warm feeling, however, and she responds, "Not today. Thanks anyway. I need to get back to work here." She tries to sound a little agitated, but Castle knows. His eyes are still twinkling even as he plays along, and she can tell he realizes how little she can really resist his charm. Still, she knows with Vikram sitting right here he won't push it – much.

"Heard you had a drug case," he says, sounding hopeful. "Sure I can't help? Got plenty of experience catching bad guys." There's that smile again. He has to stop doing that if she's going to manage pretending to be annoyed with him.

Surprisingly, though, it's Vikram who responds to his question. "We're fine," he tells him, his tone barely civil. "Will you excuse us? We have police business to take care of," Vikram turns his head towards Beckett and rolls his eyes, seemingly exasperated with Castle's presence.

Rick frowns, and looks like he's about to retort, but just then, his phone rings. When he sees who it is, he seems to change his mind about sparring with Vikram. "Excuse me," he tells them and steps off to one side to answer, glancing at Beckett as he does so. "Richard Castle," he says into the phone. Kate thinks she should probably act irritated, but she wants to know who the person on the other end of the line is.

Unfortunately for her, only Rick can hear the caller's voice. "You must be with Beckett then, huh?" Haley asks.

"Yes I am. How can I help you?" Castle replies, well aware Vikram is still in the room.

"You need to get to the office straight away," Haley says. There's a pause before she adds, "And Rick, you were right."

Castle keeps his features schooled even as his mind whirrs to life with all the possibilities of what this means. "I think I can help you with that," he says after a beat. "Do you know where my office is? How about I meet you there in about 20 minutes?"

"A pretty good idea, yeah," Haley replies, her voice tinged with amusement. "See you then." Castle hangs up and turns back to his wife and Vikram. "Looks like I have a case of my own," he tells them. "See you later."

* * *

As Castle walks out, Beckett's lips tighten into a thin line. Rick was smiling again as he left, but it was nowhere near as genuine as before. Vikram catches her eye, shaking his head. "Can you believe that guy?" he says incredulously.

But all Kate can do is watch him leave the precinct and start to worry. Worry about what he found out, worry if he was right, and worry about the danger they were in - together.

* * *

 **Once again, thank you to everyone who is reading this story. I didn't expect to have this many followers for my first one. I hope you continue to enjoy it. And special thanks to those who reviewed!**


	4. Chapter 4

Castle's anxiety was almost distracting as he made his way to his office. Haley had just told him he was right about Vikram, and though he didn't know any details yet, he knew he should be feeling, at the very least, satisfied that he was correct. Justified in pushing Beckett into letting him look into Mr. Singh. Instead there was a knot in his stomach. Once again Kate has found herself in danger, the life-threatening kind. He is determined to help her get out of it, but he can't help but be worried in the meantime.

Haley's at his desk when Castle walks in. Normally he would be annoyed and try to cajole her into using her own office and desk he so generously set up for her, but he barely even notices. Besides, she's speaking before he can say anything. "So I went old school like you wanted me to," she says, "and I used my contacts in London, which is why it took a bit longer than usual."

He doesn't really care about the methods as long as they were quiet. "What did you find?" he asks.

"We were able to trace a birth certificate he used to prove his ID at the AG office. It goes back to a small town in northern India, to a Vikram Singh."

"So, wait," Castle interrupts, "he was telling the truth? He is who he says he is?" That didn't make sense.

"Easy," Haley tells him, "just hold on. The birth certificate is legit." She pauses, and he thinks it's for dramatic effect. Despite the fact that he does love doing that himself, today he isn't finding it so amusing. Haley gives him a small smile. "And so is the death certificate."

Castle's jaw drops. "What?"

"Vikram Singh died when he was 3 years old, just over 30 years ago."

Castle sits in one of the client chairs, mind reeling as it assesses this new information. "Do we know who he really is?" he finally asks.

"No," she answers, regret lacing her tone. "It seems that there is no record of Vikram Singh from the death of the child until about 8 months ago. He did go through the AG hiring protocols and was vetted, but he must have been approved by someone already involved in all this because nothing I've told you was really that hard to find."

Castle stands up again. Sitting was making him feel trapped. He makes his way to the window, facing the sun, feeling the warmth it provides. He should be glad he's already gotten some answers, but really this information just makes him more aware of how deep this goes, how big this case is, how much danger Kate has put herself in. "I still don't see why he didn't have a more thorough cover. You'd think he'd be worried someone would eventually go looking."

"Maybe it wasn't supposed to be such a long term assignment," Haley muses from behind him. "Get in, get out. Beckett's staying alive has thrown a wrench into their plans. Now he can't just leave. She'd get suspicious, get closer to them than she already has been."

Castle nods and turns back to her. "He keeps Kate on a leash, letting her have just enough, just the right leads at the right time to keep her invested." It makes sense, and Castle is glad to have Haley to bounce around theories with, but he is suddenly reminded that this is what he and Beckett should be doing, not him and Haley. That thought should upset him, but it only steels his resolve. He is going to end this and get his wife back. On the subject of Kate, however…

"Why are they keeping her alive?"

His sudden question seems to startle Haley out of wherever her own thoughts had taken her. She still raises an eyebrow at him. "Shouldn't we just be glad they are?" she replies.

Castle shakes his head. "To find the solution, we have to write the story, the whole story. Originally they were intent on killing her, ambushing her in the theater, attacking her at the warehouse. Even after Allison Hyde died, there was no reason for them to stop coming after Kate. So why is she safe?"

Haley nods, but her silence tells him she doesn't have any answers for him. Then she cocks her head. "Here's another question to add to our list while we're making it. Why keep you two separated? You've told me that Beckett hasn't shut you out like this since you got together, and Vikram seems to be keen to see you two remain apart."

Castle frowns as he remembers all the cold looks and snide remarks Vikram has aimed toward him, including the ones from today. And he had pointed out the same thing to Kate earlier. "I don't know," he says. "I just thought he doesn't want anyone else involved that might question him."

"Perhaps," Haley concedes. "But what if there's more to it? That guy seems to hate you, Castle." Rick gives her an annoyed look, and she puts her hands up. "No offense," she says. "I just want to know why he's so intent on keeping your wife away from you, specifically. He doesn't seem so rigid when it comes to anyone else."

"It's possible," Castle allows, but he actually thinks she may be on to something. Vikram isn't nearly as rude to Esposito or Ryan, although that could be because they work at the precinct. Unfortunately, he simply can't know either way, at least not yet. But he's one step closer to finding out.

* * *

"Beckett," Kate says into her cell phone. She knows it's Castle, hopefully calling to tell her what he discovered. Her door is open, however, and the window shades are up, so her tone is all business. She and Castle are supposed to be separated, at least to everyone else, and with him dropping by earlier, she doesn't want to get anyone watching even more suspicious with regard to the status of her marriage.

Even so, she's not expecting _his_ voice to be clipped. "Beckett, we need to talk," he tells her. "You need to come to the office as soon as you can.

Kate's nerves are already frayed, and his words make her stomach clench even more. Still, she holds her composure. "Okay," she replies. "I will be there in 30 minutes."

True to her word, exactly half an hour later, Beckett steps through the door to Castle's P.I. office. Her husband is obviously waiting for her, and behind him she spots an open safe. He comes close and leans down toward her to whisper in her ear. "Put you phone in here and follow me," he says.

She complies, then watches as Castle closes the safe and turns the dial. He then turns to his bookcase and slides his hand along the row of books, before pulling one by Edgar Allan Poe book back. She knows what he's doing, his secret room he had built in is soundproof. She thinks he is probably being a little overcautious, but she doesn't call him on it. Better safe than sorry, anyway. The door slides open and she follows him in.

Haley is waiting. The fact that both of them have such serious looks on their faces has her even more worried now, and after Castle shuts the door, she starts talking. "Rick, what's wrong, what happened?"

"It's Vikram," Castle responds and it sounds like he is trying to break the news gently but can't quite manage it. "Or shall I say, it's not Vikram," he adds ruefully.

Beckett is confused by his words at first, but that confusion just turns to anger, embarrassment, and, most of all, remorse as they tell her what they know about Vikram Singh. How could she be so blind? Her fixation on her mother's case and now this one has nearly gotten her killed too many times. She was warned to leave it alone, but she couldn't. And even now, no, she's not built that way. She will see this through. But she has never been this wrong before, this misled. And if it wasn't for Castle, she would've just kept on being fooled. Castle, the love of her life, who she pushed away in what was really a misguided attempt to keep him safe. He paid for her mistakes. Part of her asks how she can dare continue with this case, this, this obsession. Because Castle doesn't deserve that. Where does she go from here?

Kate just looked at Castle. She wouldn't blame him if all she saw in his eyes was judgment, anger. But no, of course not. It's Castle. All she sees is his concern, his love for her, even if a bit of it is tinged with pain. "Rick," she begins, but it's all she can get out.

Castle knows her well, though, better than she sometimes realizes. "Kate," he says, as he brings his hands to her shoulders, "we will get to the bottom of this. We _will_. We just need a plan."

A plan? All Kate can think about is how wrong she was, and how much she doesn't deserve Castle to be standing in front of her, offering his help.

But Castle seems to see those thoughts, too. "I know he played you, Kate, that you were misled. But put it away." His voice is firm now. "We are in this _together_ , and we _will_ get him and LOCKSAT. This is what you're good at, there's no one better. And I'm right with you."

She looks at him in disbelief. She is so grateful that he still has her back. He seems almost nervous that she's going to try to go solo once more, but he need not worry. She's done making that mistake. She may not be able to forgive herself as easily as Castle has forgiven her, but that comes later. Castle's offering his help, as he always has, and she is never again going to refuse it. Now, it's time to get to work.

After a few moments she smiles up at Rick, then steps out of his hold, turning slightly to address both him and Hayley. But she keeps one hand in Castle's, not quite ready to relinquish his touch yet. "Vikram doesn't know we know about him, right?" she asks.

Haley shakes her head. "We stayed off the grid," she says. "I used some contacts in London."

"Good." Beckett says, nodding. She can feel her mind starting to formulate a plan. "He used me," she tells them. "I'm not sure exactly what for, but I think it's only fair we return the favor."

* * *

Beckett's poker-face was back in place by the time she reentered the precinct. She had spent an hour with Castle and Hayley, pulling together a game plan for how to proceed. All agreed that the first thing they needed was to talk to Vikram. But if they just approached him straight out, they knew he would simply run off and disappear. They needed to have him in police custody so she could interrogate him without giving him the chance to get away. For that, they needed cause, which she might have been able to find on her own, except that Vikram was keeping her under such close scrutiny. She knew she'd never get away with it. All of that led to a choice that she had been dreading making up until now. Just a few days ago she had been adamantly against it when Rick brought it up. Now it seemed it was her only option.

As she passes Ryan and Esposito's desks Beckett signals for them to follow her into her office. They comply without question, as she knew they would. She lowers the shades and after the two detectives enter, she closes the door. Even if Vikram is watching her actions, he'll likely assume she's talking to them about another case, or about their partnership. With the strain that had been put on it in the past months, she'd pulled them in here like this at least a couple of times before.

Her boys, though, know that she's aware that they've patched things up. So it isn't surprising to her that she finds them looking at her with obvious curiosity when she turns around. She doesn't say anything at first, and walks over to her desk, but turns around to lean against it facing them instead of sitting down. Ryan gives Esposito an inquisitive look, but his partner could only shrug.

Her intake of breath is enough to pull both detectives attention back to her. "What I'm about to tell you is bigger than anything we have come up against," she starts. Raised eyebrows are the only response she gets. "You know most of it up to the point of Alyson Hyde's death. But that, that was not a suicide." She pauses, letting that sink in, giving them a chance to say something. Neither of them do, but the glances she sees them give each other tell her that they aren't totally surprised to hear it.

"I separated from Rick," she continues, "so that I could continue the investigation without him being put in danger. It was…not my best decision. He found out eventually, though, and now we're back together. He's trying to help me solve this. No one else knows, and you can't tell anyone."

There's a small smile on Ryan's face, and she can sense his relief. He's always been close to Rick, and even she has had more of a connection with him since she married Castle, probably because of how close he and Jenny are. Beckett hates to dampen his good mood with the rest, but she presses on.

"Vikram and I have been continuing to investigate LOCKSAT. We have gotten a few leads, but nothing with traction. Castle and Hayley figured out why."

She's not sure if it's her increasing tension that they're responding to, but Ryan and Esposito both stiffen expectantly. "Vikram is not who he says he is," she tells them, and this time she sees anger flash in both pairs of eyes, but again, they aren't that surprised. Was she the only one who actually trusted Vikram? Perturbed, but keeping focus, she continues, "He's a plant from LOCKSAT." She runs down everything she knows so far, from what Hayley found on the real Vikram Singh, to the false leads she's been chasing down, to the drug shipments, and anything else she knows is relevant to LOCKSAT.

Esposito and Ryan ask a few questions, and she can tell their interested, but they don't say much. She knows that's her fault. Just like with Castle, she's been hiding things and outright lying to them, too. She wonders if this time she's gone too far, if maybe they aren't so certain they want to help now. She takes a deep breath and lets it out, trying to calm herself. She owes them an apology and an explanation.

"Kevin, Javier, I need to tell you that I'm sorry. I did this on my own trying to keep everyone safe. It was wrong, but I knew that if LOCKSAT would've found out, they would've come after anyone involved. Kevin, you have a wife, a daughter and a baby on the way. I didn't want to put you in harm's way. Either of you. But it was a bad decision. Castle helped me see that. Rick and I are partners, and the four of us, we're a team. I should've remembered that, and I should've known better after everything we've been through. I am sorry." She pauses for a moment before adding, "That being said, I will understand if either of you wants to back out of this. It's risky, and while I think we can do this under Vikram and LOCKSAT's radar, there's a chance this could put a target on all of our backs."

Both detectives are still quiet, but when she finishes, they look at each other. Something passes between them, an unspoken conversation between best friends and partners. Ryan nods, and when they look back at Beckett, Esposito says, "Where do you want us to start?"

Kate only barely manages to suppress a grin at that, but still she presses, "Are you sure guys? You don't have to do this."

Ryan speaks up this time. "Like you said, Beckett, we're a team. This is what we do."

"Yeah," Esposito adds, "as long as you aren't gonna keep anymore secrets, we're with you."

Now Beckett does let herself smile at them. "Thank you, both of you," she says. Then it's back down to business. She tells Esposito to put a detail on him, but to make sure they stay out of sight. He promises to use his best guys for the task.

As for Ryan, she asks him to start looking at his paper trail. "I don't care so much about his past," she explains. "I want to know his present. What's he working on? Who's he talking to? See what line's up, and what doesn't. Why is he here? Why hinder me instead of just getting rid of me like he did McCord and the others?" Ryan nods. It's a big task, but if he can just answer one of those questions for her, she'll be closer than she is now. "Just make sure you both keep him from knowing what you're doing," she tells them.

Esposito gives Ryan a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Let's go get this guy," he says, and they both exit her office, intent on their next steps.

* * *

 **A/N: Once again, thanks to those that are following. Any suggestions as to how I can make this better are definitely welcome. We're at about the halfway point here. In the meantime, hope you liked this chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

When Vikram enters her office and closes the door, Beckett's head snaps up. He gives her an odd glance, and she forces herself to calm down, remaining alert, but appearing relaxed. It had been a few days since Ryan and Esposito had started digging into Vikram, and they'd both given her periodic updates, but since everything had to be done without alerting their target, they had to be careful, and careful sometimes meant slow.

Vikram still hasn't stopped staring at her funny. "Are you OK?" he asks.

"Yeah," Kate replies, doing her best to sound casually annoyed. "Why?" Kate responded.

"Just…" he pauses, then launches forward in a rush, "you haven't been yourself lately. You've barely asked me about the case. And I know you've been spending some time with Castle."

Beckett freezes. How did he know that? She had still been leaving work in the opposite direction of the loft, but once she was out of sight from the twelfth, she switched routes and headed home to Rick. And she had been loving those evenings. Alexis and Martha had both welcomed her back into their little family, which was so much more than she would have expected, let alone thought she deserved. And being there with Castle, it was her center. It was what kept her sane and focused, to the point where she wondered how she had gotten by without it these past months. She wasn't happy about continuing to hide it, but now she was worried that even those actions were putting them all in the crosshairs. Was she being followed? Was Castle?

Blinking a few times to bring herself back to the present, she looked up at Vikram and musters up her indignation and frustration, and directs it towards him. "I haven't lost my focus on this case," she says harshly. "You're the one who hasn't come up with a decent lead yet. I want this solved. Now. You get me some answers and I will show you just how focused I am."

She half-expects Vikram to shrink back at her temper. But he just nods, stands up, and prepares to leave. He's not playing the helpless tech geek he was when this all started. Kate could kick herself for not noticing sooner. Even so she doesn't let him just leave after that, not after one more warning. "And Vikram?" He turns around to look at her. "I told you I was doing what I could to save my marriage," she says. "What I do with Castle and how much energy I put into that is none of your business. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." Vikram opens the door and walks out.

Kate bites her lower lip worriedly. She's not sure that was the right move, because now he knows she's not intending to stay away from Castle, and that seems to be one of Vikram's goals. But she promised Rick they would do this together. Resolved, she picks up her phone and taps the call button for his number. He needs to know what just happened.

* * *

By midmorning the next day, Beckett's more than a little tired. She was up late last night worrying about what Vikram knows. Castle wrapped her in his arms and did everything he could to reassure her that they would be alright, but she still had a hard time relaxing. Still, it was better than agonizing over it alone in an empty apartment.

Despite her fatigue, she manages a smile for Ryan when he knocks on her open door and steps into her office. But when he shuts that door behind him, she sits up straighter, all weariness forgotten. From that action and the look on his face, she knows he has something for her.

"Caught a break," he tells her without preamble. "My buddies at Vice told me there's a big shipment rumored to be coming in this evening. They don't know where so they won't be involved, but this is supposedly uncut heroin, and when I pressed, they were able to tell me it had the same markers you asked us to look for.

"It's Vikram's," Kate breathes.

Ryan nods. "I think so."

Kate feels a tinge of excitement. Have they finally gotten the break they've been looking for? In retrospect, it hasn't really been that long since she brought Castle, Ryan, and Esposito in on the case, but she also knows that they are good at their jobs, and they don't tend to let her down. Ryan wouldn't have come to her if he wasn't pretty sure this was the real deal. So even if it does sound a little easy, she can't help but hope. "And you have no idea where they are offloading it at?" she asks.

"No," Ryan responds, "but I'm about to go through Vikram's most recent calls to see if I can get an idea."

Kate nods and he exits. Maybe they really can finish this.

It's only a few hours later when Vikram enters her office to tell her he's leaving early and wouldn't be around this evening. He has done this several times in past couple of months. She's never thought a thing about it, assuming it was some love interest or something he was involved with as a diversion from the case. She knows she's needed her own diversions since this all started. But this time when he informs her, she knows he isn't off on a tryst.

* * *

Once sure that Vikram had left, Kate leaves her office, heading straight for Esposito and Ryan. "Guys, he's on the move," she tells them. "You ready?"

"We'll get him," Esposito responds. The three of them headed to the boys' car. She would ride with them in order not to get in the way of the orchestrated surveillance they had set up. Esposito had dispatched several cars around the precinct, so that when Vikram would leave, they would follow using a private radio channel and hand off whenever Vikram would change direction. If all went according to plan, he would lead them right to the drugs, and LOCKSAT. Or so Beckett hoped.

Vikram however, was definitely not interested in going along with their plan. He stops by his home and changes. Then he takes a stroll over to a small Indian themed bistro down the street from his apartment building. Around 6:00 he goes back into his building. Then nothing.

Kate lets out a huff of frustration around 9:30 as she puts away her phone. She had texted Castle for the third time to update him on their progress, or lack thereof. Were they wrong? Was Vikram really not involved with all of this? _He has to be_ , she thinks, _we know he is._ She wonders if he is still just playing her.

If he is, she's tired of the game. Resigning herself to the fact that nothing was going to go down tonight, she prepares to tell Esposito to call off his teams. But Ryan breaks the silence before she can. "We've got movement," he says, and there's an excited edge to his voice.

Beckett watches as Vikram gets into his car and heads off into the darkness. Another car turns and falls in behind him. This is happening, she thinks, and her heart starts to beat a little bit faster. It always does when she is in pursuit of a suspect. She smirks a little. She doesn't get enough of this stuck behind her desk every day.

Esposito is in the driver's seat, and he trails the other cars at a distance. As they start heading toward the docks on the East Side, she is amazed at the artistry this surveillance has taken on. Esposito and Ryan coordinate as their 4 teams continue following Vikram handing off at each turn. It reminds her of a well-choreographed ballet. Maybe she will get Castle to one of her favorites after all this over. Probably not. She shakes off the stray thought as the vehicle slows.

At a pier surrounded by warehouses, Vikram finally stops and gets out. He meets two other men, and they all head toward a boat that is being unloaded. And oh, that is definitely the heroin. Relief washes over Kate. Ryan was right. This is it.

Once Esposito puts his teams in place, she gives the go sign. Lights, sirens, and a lot of hollering to not move and get on the ground surprises Vikram and his little crew. As one might expect, a couple of the guys on the boat try to make a run for it. They don't get far. The rest, including Vikram and the men he was meeting with, are rounded up quickly. Esposito and Ryan were expecting a firefight. So was Kate if she's being honest. It seems like they really did catch them unaware. Could it really be this simple?

Kate slowly makes her way to Vikram after he is in handcuffs and leaning against a cruiser, arguing with one of the officers. It takes all she has not to keep her anger in check. She'd known he was playing her for a few days now, but seeing the evidence, and seeing him there with a petulant attitude makes her want change up her exercise routine. She'd like to use Vikram as her punching bag. She's not usually so violent, she thinks. But this guy very nearly tore her marriage, her life, apart. She fixes an icy glare on him. "Vikram Singh," she says, her voice steeled with authority, "you are under arrest".

* * *

When Castle enters the precinct, it's buzzing with activity. Not quite like the morning rush, but there are still a number of officers and detainees moving around. He finds Esposito near his desk, and he quickly makes his way over to him. "Where's Beckett?" he asks.

"She's getting Vikram moved to interrogation," Esposito tells him. "She didn't want to wait. Said she wanted to do this before that public defender from before, Brown or whatever his name is, could get here."

Castle nodded, remembering that the lawyer had helped Accosta, one of Vulcan Simmons successors, finagle his way out of any serious charges only a couple of weeks ago after the whole case on the cruise ship. It would make sense that whoever LOCKSAT was would dispatch Caleb Brown now to get Vikram out of trouble, too.

"C'mon," Esposito says, gesturing for Castle to follow him. "Ready to see some fireworks?" As they head to the observation room, Castle replies solemnly, "I just want this to be over."

Once they're situated behind the glass of the two-way mirror, Castle and Esposito don't have too long to wait. Beckett and Ryan entered the room together only a few moments later. They watch as Kate walks purposefully up to the table and lets the folder she's carrying drop to the table with a loud thump. It doesn't phase Vikram, he doesn't even seem to be paying attention.

Castle's mouth twists. He knows Vikram's aware of Beckett and Ryan, but he doesn't like the look on his face. He isn't just acting uninterested, he looks bored. Esposito must notice Rick's expression, because he tries to reassure him. "Don't worry Castle, she's got this." He points towards Ryan on the other side of the window. "And we got her."

Castle manages a grim smile and quiet, "Thanks." He knows Esposito is trying to calm him, but between the relative ease of catching Vikram and the game he seems to be gearing up to play, Castle's gut is churning. This won't end well.

"So let's start with an easy question," Kate begins, casually dropping into her seat. Ryan has taken up a position leaning against the mirror, letting Beckett take the lead, but ready to jump in if needed. "Who are you really? We know you're not Vikram Singh." Vikram (Rick still can't think of him as anything else even if that's not his name) does look over at Kate now, but he doesn't say anything. Just stares, cold, almost defiant, but more like the defiance of a teenager who thinks their parents 'just don't get it.' It irks Castle. Alexis may lay claim to being the smart one in the family, but she's never given him such an awful look.

"You played me." Kate continues, trying a different tack. "You kept me away from Castle, nearly destroying my marriage, my life. Why, what was the point?" Still nothing. Her voice grows stronger and Castle can hear some of her rage breaking through. "Bracken is dead, Rachel and her team are dead. You tried to kill me, but then you go and change your mind. I want to know why." Castle knows she's going to shout before Beckett's hand even starts moving. She brings it down hard onto the table. "Why did you use me, Vikram?"

Castle thinks he sees Vikram flinch, but if he did he recovers quickly. He stares at her, not looking so bored now but still and quietly insolent. "You were easy to use," he finally tells her.

"C'mon Kate, don't let him throw you," Castle murmurs. Vikram's words were a blow, he can see it in the way her body tenses, in the subtle change in her posture. Beckett knows better than to let her emotions lead her in an interrogation, but she tends to do it anyway when the case is personal. Her passion drives her, he knows, makes her one of the best there is. But her emotions blind her. He watches as she looks at her file. "There you go," he breathes. She isn't reading. She's collecting herself.

When Beckett finally looks up again, she asks, "LOCKSAT, what is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Vikram replies, and there's that bored tone again.

Ryan chooses this moment to step in. "We have you on the drugs, Vikram. The guys on the boat already named you as the one running the operation tonight. I personally don't care about LOCKSAT, but I do care about making you pay for what you did to my friends." Kate visibly startles at this proclamation, and Castle smiles sympathetically. She'd told him before about Ryan's relief at their reconciling. She was surprised by it, that he cared that much. Beckett is starting to realize just how much she affects the people who love her, how much she can hurt them, and how much she doesn't want to keep doing that. If she finds her way out of this rabbit hole, Castle believes she'll think twice before barreling down another.

"Vice is ready to take you with them," Ryan continues. "Now how long do you think you'll last before you end up like Bracken?" Ryan pauses, then adds, "Tell us who is behind this and we will keep you safe."

Vikram's face finally changes, but it chills Castle. He smiles up at Ryan. Rick sees Esposito shift in the corner of his eye, but before either of them can say or do anything, there's a knock on the door of the interrogation room. A uniform opens the door and a smartly dressed young woman walks in. Beckett and Ryan both look up at her, and Castle can see by their expressions that they're taken aback. All of them had expected Brown, and this was clearly not him. But no one looks more stunned than Vikram. "He's not expecting her either," Castle says to Esposito.

The detective nods. "He's been left out in the cold."

The lawyer walks up next to Vikram, facing Kate. "Captain Beckett, my name is Shelia Randall and I will be representing Mr. Singh."

Vikram blanched. "If she's not one of LOCKSAT's people," Esposito says, "he'll be dead within hours of walking out of here, in police custody or not."

"Actually," Vikram pipes up before Beckett can address the newcomer, "I'm just about to tell Capitan Beckett here what I know." If Ryan is annoyed at being ignored by Vikram, he doesn't say anything. "But they were offering me a deal," he adds. His tone is more desperate, unsure, but he's still trying to maintain some form of control. "First I need protection, and I need it now. Put me in WITSEC and then we'll talk."

Kate shakes her head, in time with Castle on the other side of the glass, even though she can't see that. "No, slow down. I need at least a few answers first. Like, why did you keep giving us legitimate leads? They didn't go anywhere, but they were too good not to be real."

Vikram sighs, sounding annoyed, but resigned. "Got him," Castle mutters.

"My assignment was to feed you just enough information. Keep you interested, keep you invested, but not close enough to be a real threat."

Kate huffs, and Castle can tell she's frustrated, though whether she's more upset with Vikram or with herself for not seeing it, he doesn't know. "Why did you need to keep me away from Castle?" she asks, and Rick's ears perk up.

The question seems to surprise Vikram, but he recovers quickly, switching his gaze from looking at Beckett to stare straight ahead, almost as if he could see through the mirror, see Castle on the other side. Castle stares back. "They're afraid he knows something," Vikram finally replies. "I don't know what, but keeping you away from him, it was just part of my assignment."

Castle's shocked. "What?" he chokes out. Esposito's head swings around towards him. "What is he talking about? I don't know anything about this except what I've found out since Beckett told me."

Esposito looks like he's about to reply, but Vikram starts speaking again. "Look," he says, voice slightly raised. "You may blame me for keeping you two apart, but it really wasn't that hard. You went willingly. You separated from him without any intervention on my part. All I did was nudge you here and there to keep it that way. You did the rest."

Castle makes a noise of frustration, then turns and walks toward the door, wrenching it open. He only just resists slamming it behind him after he walks out, and turns around, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. He didn't want to hear anymore. He's forgiven Kate, of course he has. He understands her motives, even if he absolutely doesn't agree and will be making her promise never to do this to him again. But to hear Vikram talk about it, for him to put it like that, it hurt. She may have claimed to be trying to protect him, but she still chose to walk away. And as much as he hates it, that makes him doubt her.

* * *

"You went willingly."

Kate can't breathe for a moment. Those were the words from Vikram's little speech that ripped at her. She made that choice. Rita warned her not to, to stay out of the LOCKSAT case and go home to her husband, and she didn't listen. She was the one to cause Castle's pain. Not Vikram. Her. That revelation stabbed her in her heart.

But Beckett isn't one to just lay down and give up. She would do everything in her power to atone for her mistakes. She would make this up to Castle. She promised herself that she would heal the pain she caused him no matter how long it takes.

Right now, however, all her attention needs to be on keeping him safe. From what Vikram has just admitted, Castle has a big target on his back thanks to her. What she had tried so hard to keep from happening, nearly sacrificing her marriage in the process, happened anyway. Rick was right. Her leaving him was pointless.

Beckett rises to exit the interrogation room with Ryan, but she's stopped before she can shut the door behind her. It's Vikram's voice, and it's almost pleading. "Get me into WITSEC and I will give you the rest."

Beckett looks back at him once more, but she doesn't say anything. She just closes the door.

* * *

 **I have to apologize for the long wait, but I was busy moving across the country. Please enjoy, and once again, thanks to those who are following this story.**


	6. Chapter 6

When Beckett returns to her office after leaving Vikram, Castle and the boys are there waiting. Castle starts talking before she has even fully stepped into the room. "What are you going to do, Beckett? We can't just let him walk, get witness protection. Not yet."

His voice is just on the edge of imploring, but she's already in agreement with him. "I know," she answers her husband, before addressing the Ryan and Esposito as well. "If we don't get some answers first, then when he leaves this becomes just another dead end. We have to find a way to leverage him." All three men in the room silently agree, but no one speaks, not really seeing a good answer yet. Kate runs the interrogation through her mind again, trying to analyze every one of Vikram's answers, every nuance in his expression. One thing in particular stands out to her. "Castle, why are they afraid of you?" She looks up at him. He doesn't look surprised at the inquiry, but his jaw tightens, his eyes harden. Not at her, she knows that. His frustration with the whole situation is showing. "It makes no sense," she adds quietly, just in case he felt like her question was an accusation.

He didn't get the message. "I have no idea, Kate. I've told you everything. No secrets."

"I know, I believe you Rick," she assures him, and he calms almost instantly, but she can see the signs of defeat in his features.

"I just don't know," he adds.

Everyone in the room is silent for a few moments, all trying to think of something, anything, that will move this forward. It's Esposito who speaks first. "Do you think…" he trails off, shaking his head in dismissal.

"What, Espo?" Beckett asks, eager for an idea.

"It's not really…" he grits his teeth, struggling with explaining himself. But it's clear that he doesn't think his idea is worth much.

Kate's not about to close the door on any suggestion right now, however. If there's one thing Castle has taught her over the years, it's that even the craziest of theories can have value, if only as a starting point, a seed. "Just tell us," she urges the detective.

Esposito sighs, but relents. "Do you think this has anything to do with those couple of months Castle went missing?" He doesn't receive an immediate response, and continues. "He doesn't remember, but LOCKSAT might not know that. If he saw something or met someone while he was wherever he was that could trace back to them..."

"They'd want him as far away from this case as possible," Ryan says, finishing his partner's thought.

Beckett and Castle stare at the detectives for a few seconds, almost in shock. But Castle finally responds. "That actually… that might make sense."

Castle looks hopefully over at Beckett, seeking her agreement, but Kate already has her phone out and is going through her contacts. She finds the name and number she's looking for quickly, and it's one she hasn't dialed in months. When she presses send and puts the phone to her ear, Castle's expression turns to confusion. "Who are you calling?" he asks.

Kate gives him a quick smile. "Rick, I think it's time you meet your stepmother."

After leaving a message instructing the recipient to meet them at Castle's office, Kate hangs up and tells the boys to keep an eye on things, then takes Castle's arm and heads toward the elevator. But she stops suddenly, causing Rick to falter slightly and look over at her. She looks up at him, gives him a soft smile, then disentangles her arm from his and walks back to Ryan and Esposito. "Guys," she says, "I just want to say thanks for having my back out there today. I know I've already apologized for keeping you in the dark for so long, but just know that was a mistake I won't be making again."

Her boys both nodded, each adding "Thanks, Captain." Beckett turn around and walks back up to a smiling Castle, linking her arm to his again as they continue out of the precinct.

* * *

Kate's on the phone on their way back to his office, so Castle has a chance to think over his upcoming encounter. His wife had told him, after they had gotten back together, about meeting his stepmother and her involvement in chasing LOCKSAT and rescuing her and, apparently at the time, Vikram.

Castle definitely appreciates the woman's help in keeping his Kate alive, but he's wary of meeting her. This is the woman who married Jackson Hunt. After meeting his father and being pulled into his world on at least two previous occasions, Castle had conceded it had been for the best that Jackson never married his mother, Martha. She may have survived, but she would never have thrived living her life in the way that his work would have necessitated. And Rick's childhood would have been even less normal than it was. Still, this was weird. Very weird.

It feels like they're at his office quicker than they should be, but he doesn't hesitate in opening the office door. Like ripping off a band aid.

Castle isn't quite sure what he expected Rita to look like, which is odd for him, since he can usually make up a character's physical traits and personality based on simply a name when he writes. But with his stepmother, a number of images had flashed through his head. Tall and elegant, petite and fiery, a few that looked similar to his mother (Did Jackson have a type?). But Rita is just a few inches under Kate's height, with short brunette hair, and she looks like she can walk into of a battle or a ballroom with equal confidence and success.

Kate takes the lead and introduces them, but while Rita says how nice it is to meet him, she doesn't spend any more time on pleasantries.

"So you busted Vikram huh?" she starts, and she sounds a little impressed. "We knew one of 'em was in the NYPD. His name even came up, but there was nothing to go on at the time. Just a feeling."

"I guess we both ignored things right in front of us." Kate says dejectedly.

Castle shifts the conversation to what they came for. "Rita, LOCKSAT seems to be afraid of me. They tried to tear me and Kate apart. We don't know why. Do you?" She tilts her head, but doesn't respond right away. "Does it have something to do with my father?" Castle presses.

"Oh, Rick," she says softly, "more than you could possibly realize." She pauses, leaning on the desk a little before continuing. "Do you remember anything about the time you were missing?"

"No. Nothing," Rick says, repeating the answer for what seems to him is the umpteenth time. Still the fact that she asked that means that _she_ must know something. "Why, what is going on?" he asks.

Rita is silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating the two of them. Kate steps in. "It's time for answers, Rita. We're all on the same side here, trying to get to the same end. Help us out."

And, finally, she concedes. "I haven't seen Jackson in almost a year now," Rita begins. "The last time was when I got involved with all of this."

Castle gestures for them to sit down and starts making coffee. Once they're each settled in with a cup, Rita starts explaining.

"What I'm about to tell you is top secret and a matter of national security," she says. Beckett and Castle both nod. After a beat, she goes on. "You know about the security breach within the CIA. Around the time it was discovered, about two and a half years ago, Jackson infiltrated a huge drug distribution ring. He was good at his job, and he moved up the chain. So good that the CIA believed he went rogue. And that he was or was connected to the leak."

"No way," Castle argues. But Kate's hand on his arm stills him.

"Go on," Kate says.

"After the successful extraction that Rick was involved with, the CIA asked him to get involved with finding his father. Rick, you are very good at your job, too."

Castle half-smiles at the compliment. Looking at Kate he tells Rita "I had an excellent teacher".

Rita nods in acknowledgement and continues. "You used your connections in Central America, and within a few weeks of investigating you found him. Unfortunately, we don't know where you were and, as we regretfully realized once we found you, neither do you remember."

Castle looks apologetic, although by now he and both women know that it's not his fault.

"When you met your father you were shot by his security team." Rita goes on.

 _That explains the bullet wound_ , Castle thinks.

"Jackson helped save you though. Unfortunately, you were taken into custody by his bosses in the ring. Obviously you were a huge problem. They were angry Jackson was insistent on saving you, then keeping you alive, and he wasn't able to keep them from, shall we say, interrogating you."

Castle isn't sure what his expression is after that revelation, but Kate slides her hand down his arm and into his. He holds onto it tightly and gives her a silent thank you.

Rita doesn't comment on the gesture. "You, of course, didn't know anything, or at least anything that was valuable enough to keep you around. They were determined to kill you despite what Jackson wanted, but it seems your father managed to convince them of another way."

"Good ol' dad" Rick chuckles in relief. Upon meeting Rita's eyes, however, he stops and clears his throat. "Please continue."

"They had developed a drug that would erase your memory. They used it on you. We're not really sure of how it worked, it was nearly all out of your bloodstream by the time we found you. Jackson then promised his bosses he would keep an eye on you, which is where I come in. He asked me to watch your back, and by extension, Kate's."

If Rick was grateful to her before, the feeling is even more intensified now. "Thank you for that," he say earnestly.

Kate on the other hand, is apparently not so thankful. "I appreciate you saving me when you did," she says, "but why didn't you tell me all this? I could've been so much further along."

Rita shakes her head, looking a little exasperated. "Do you hear yourself, Kate?" she asked. "I told you to stay out of this, to go home to your husband, to allow me to finish this. But you didn't listen. I had a feeling you might not, and that's why I told you that you needed to leave Castle behind. I couldn't protect you both, and I wasn't taking a chance on losing Rick."

Castle's appreciative attitude evaporates with those words. It wasn't just Vikram who told Kate to leave him out, but his stepmother as well. For all her good intentions, that was something he might not be able to pardon.

Rita isn't done though. "This was your choice, Kate," she tells his wife. "One you made freely."

Kate reels back at her words. Castle wants to defend her. Despite knowing her to be capable, more than him in many ways, he always wants to protect her. But he can't deny the truth of Rita's words. Kate has admitted as much to him herself. Still, when she looks up at him with eyes that were somehow pleading, determined, and loving all at once, he squeezes her hand reassuringly, and does what he can to take the focus off of his wife. "So LOCKSAT is worried I may remember, that I can end their operations?" he asks Rita.

"Yes" she responds. "And I'm afraid we can't be much help. We still don't know where Jackson is because they moved their base of operations after they were done with you." Rita stopped, appearing to contemplate things. She finally looks back up at Beckett. "Did you get all the information you could from Vikram?"

"All that he would give me for now," Beckett answers, "which isn't much. He says he will give us the rest when he's put into WITSEC." Castle feels the hand holding his tighten, while he sees her other one clench into a fist. "I can't believe this," she huffs out. "All the progress I thought I was making, and it was all orchestrated. A waste of time. I blew up my marriage for nothing, absolutely nothing!" The last words are almost a shout.

Castle wants to console her, but before he can do or say anything, Rita steps in. "It wasn't…completely…for nothing," she tells Kate, and her tone is as hesitant as it is matter-of-fact. "You would have been better off leaving it alone Kate, but when you went after LOCKSAT, well, separating probably saved both of your lives. With Castle out of the picture, he was less of a risk, and they saw the opportunity to use you. They could keep Jackson happy, and have a foothold in the NYPD. Still not sure why exactly they needed that, but it kept both of you breathing. And you did manage to capture one of LOCKSAT's top lieutenants, and that's forced them to adjust their plans. This is the best chance to end this we've had so far."

Mulling Rita's words over, Castle found himself feeling just a little better than he had been these past few days. It still hurt that she left him out. That she lied to him. He still didn't really understand why this case was so important to her. But with the knowledge his stepmother had just brought to the fore, it would be easier to forgive her, to start anew, especially if she truly wanted that, too.

"With Vikram's role and details about LOCKSAT out in the open, it will be harder for them to come at either of you. Your deaths would lead straight to them, and they won't risk that. You're much safer than before."

"So," Kate leads, "the separation…"

"I don't see what difference officially reconciling would make." Rita says. All Rick and Kate can do is just look at each other and smile.

* * *

That had been the second time in a matter of hours she had been slapped with the truth of what she had done. Rita was right, she had made that choice of her own free will. Kate knew she had a lot to make up to her husband for leaving. And she would do it, whatever it takes. He'll never have to worry about her again. When she looked up at Rick after Rita had laid bare her actions and her faults, she had tried to promise him, right then and there, with even just her eyes that she would never put him through this again. That she would do everything in her power to make their marriage work. That she would always love him, and from now on she would show him that. And he seemed to understand. She had never been more grateful to have him as her husband, her partner.

It's not long after telling them that they should be relatively safe to publicly reconcile that Rita gets up to leave. But before she does, she turns to her stepson. "Rick," she says, "I wanted to say thank you."

Castle looks at her quizzically. "For what?"

"For whatever you told Jackson," Rita replies. Kate can see by Castle's saddened look that he has no idea what his stepmother is talking about. Rita must see that too, and she adds, "Whatever you said, it got him to come in, to talk to me and tell me what was going on. It allowed me to help, to keep him from being labeled a traitor. And for that, I'm grateful."

And then she's gone.

* * *

 **Thanks for all the positive feedback for the last chapter! Hope you like this one.**


	7. Chapter 7

It's not long after Castle and Beckett have left the precinct that two men dressed in suits enter it. Esposito nods to Ryan as the men head straight for Beckett's office. "Feds," his partner says as Ryan comes up next to him.

Ryan nods, agreeing. He'd already known that. Finding the Captain's office empty, the two men turn to the detectives. "We're looking for Captain Beckett," they say, their tone making the statement sound like a command.

"She's not available," Ryan replies. He's not intimidated by these guys, but something is making him feel a bit wary of them.

"Is there something we can help you with?" Esposito asks.

"I'm agent Foster and this is agent Maloney from the Attorney General's office." After showing the two detectives their badges, Foster continues, "We are here to transfer a Vikram Singh into our custody and enter him into witness protection."

Maloney hands Esposito the paperwork, and he thumbs through it, but Ryan doesn't spare it a glance. "We aren't finished getting our information on this case from him yet," he tells them.

"We will take care of finishing his interviews," Maloney responds, sounding almost bored, "and get you all the notes and pertinent details that you need. But now, he's coming with us."

Both Ryan and Esposito are shaking their heads now. "No way. We'll wait for our captain," Esposito insists.

Ryan adds, "This is highly irregular," for good measure.

"We know this is quick," Foster says, "but you realize the sensitivity of this case. We can't waste any more time. At any point now, we believe, he will be targeted and possibly assassinated. We do this now."

The agent's words sound reasonable, but Ryan still doesn't like it. Unfortunately, he also knows that they don't really have the cause or the authority not to do as they're told. Esposito looks at Ryan, and he shrugs at his partner. What choice do they have? Esposito nods to the lieutenant guarding the door to Interrogation 1. The officer had heard the exchange and moves to get Vikram ready to go. Esposito signs the paperwork, albeit looking reluctant and annoyed, hands it back, and within minutes, Foster and Maloney are headed out with their charge.

Ryan sighs as the agents and Vikram disappear behind the elevator doors. "She's not gonna be happy." Esposito shakes his head.

* * *

Castle and Beckett walk back to the precinct. It had been agreed upon silently, giving the two of them a chance to digest everything, to talk maybe. Kate holds the arm that he had offered to her as they stepped out onto the sidewalk, and leans into him slightly, but as far as conversation goes, she doesn't particularly know where to start. Her initial instinct is to discuss their next step with Vikram, but she knows that's not the most important thing right now.

And there it is again, isn't it? This whole time she had her priorities so mixed up. She needs to tell Castle that, to promise that she will do better. But that's not all he's thinking about either is he? He just met his stepmother. He just learned where he was when he went missing and how he lost his memory. He just learned that he had been dragged back into his father's world, again, and barely managed to get out alive. 'Are you ok?' seems inadequate.

Fortunately, Castle speaks first. "At least we know now," he says, "what happened, those months. Sort of."

"Yeah," she replies. "You've got to at least be happy that you have some closure there."

Castle nods. "I just hope he makes it out. It obviously took some ingenuity to get _me_ home safe. It might not be as easy for him."

"If there's one thing I know about Jackson Hunt," Beckett says, "it's that he can get himself out of danger as well as he can get into it."

"True," Castle replied, and he seemed to relax slightly at that. "So, Vikram," he prompted.

If he was going to say anything else about the previous subject, Beckett knows it won't be now. Nor is it the time to talk about the two of them, either. She forces her focus back onto their next move, standing straight and squaring her shoulders. She keeps her grip on his arm, however. "We have enough from Rita that I think we can leverage him," she says, then pauses. "I think you should be in there this time." She sees Castle nod out of the corner of her eye, but neither of them say much of anything else for the rest of the walk.

* * *

When they make it back to the precinct, Esposito and Ryan rush to meet them before they can even make it to her office. "The feds were just here," Esposito tells him. "They took Vikram."

"What?" Kate almost shouts, shocked. Esposito doesn't repeat himself. She'd heard him clearly and he knows it. "Why?," she demands. "We weren't done with him." She looks between the detectives and Castle. "I only told the DA what Vikram wanted a couple of hours ago. Why did they act so soon?"

Ryan opened his mouth, but when she turns to him, he must see the angry confusion in her eyes, because he snaps it shut. Whatever excuse the agents gave him and Esposito, it must not have been worth him repeating to her. "Who were they?" she asks instead.

Esposito hands her the paperwork. "Agents Foster and Maloney from the AG's office."

Beckett looks over the paperwork. It does seem legitimate, but she's having a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that her best way of ending this had just walked out of the station and out of her grasp. She would never see him again.

That thought brings her anger back to its boiling point. She pushes the papers back into Esposito's chest and moves swiftly into her office, not looking back at the boys. It's not the detectives' fault, but she's frustrated.

She knows Castle has followed her, but she doesn't look back at him either, and instead heads straight to her phone to dial the DA's office. She gets his assistant who cheerily informs her that the DA is out of the office, and Beckett forces herself to stay calm as she leaves a message for him to call her back.

She sits down heavily on her chair, and after closing the door, Castle crosses to the couch and lowers himself to perch on the edge of it. He waits for her to speak first. It takes her a minute, and when she does she hates the defeat she hears in her own voice. "What are we going to do now, Castle?"

His gaze is so steady and reassuring and understanding. She doesn't know how he does that. "We keep working the case, Kate," he tells her, like there was never another option. "Like we always do. This time together."

She nods. He's right. But she's not sure how long she could keep going now. She wants this case over, she wants her family back. She wants her husband back more than anything.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock on her door. Castle gets up and throws her a questioning glance. She stands up and nods, and her husband opens the door.

A man and a woman step into her office, both looking very professional, glancing between her and Castle. "Captain Beckett?" the man asks.

"Yes?" Kate replies, stepping out from behind her desk.

He and his partner turn towards her and extend their hands for her to shake in turn as he makes the introductions. "My name is Special Agent Don Avery and this is Special Agent Lisa Harwood. We are from the Attorney General's office."

Beckett is immediately on edge. Did something go wrong with Vikram's transfer?

"We have been contacted by your DA," Avery continues, "and he informed us you have a Vikram Singh in custody and recommended he be put into witness protection. We wanted to go over some things with you and then interview him to see if he qualifies."

Beckett's mouth drops. She can see Castle mirroring her expression in her peripheral. "What?" she finally forces the word out. "You guys already took him. Just…not that long ago."

Both agents look confused. "Captain," Avery says slowly, "we just got this case and I can assure you no one from our office has done any such thing."

Kate snaps her head around to look at Castle, and their gazes lock. He realizes what happened as soon as she does. Vikram is in the wind.

* * *

She doesn't blame Ryan and Esposito. These guys were good. After rechecking all the paperwork, it really did seem legit. Even the names were real. The detectives would never have known. It seemed LOCKSAT had someone in the Attorney General's office as well.

That didn't stop her detectives from beating themselves up, though. And while she feels bad for them, she lets them do so. It's a good lesson to learn. It's too late for Vikram though, she knows. By now he's probably dead somewhere like all the other casualties of LOCKSAT, and if not, he soon will be.

It's now the end of long day after a long night. Beckett was ready to head home. Castle was waiting for her. And she didn't have to sneak over this time. This whole stupid separation thing was over. It shouldn't have happened in the first place, but either way, it was behind them. She was just about to say goodbye to the boys and walk out when her phone rings. She sighs, but stops to pull it out. "Beckett" she answers.

"Kate," a voice replies, and it puts her hackles up. She knows that voice.

"Vikram," she says angrily. She looks at Ryan and he catches her eye for only a moment before he begins to trace the call. "Where are you?"

"You still don't get it do you?" Vikram responds, almost sounding amused.

"What are you…?" Beckett stops as it dawns on her. "You weren't taken," she breathes. "You left."

"You almost had me Beckett," Vikram chuckles. "Almost."

"What do you want Vikram?" She looks over at Ryan as he works. She knows now his efforts will likely be futile, but they can at least try.

"Just to reassure you that I'm ok," he says with another twisted laugh. "I'm sure you were worried about my safety after being taken. I was really never in any harm of course. Oh, and I wanted to tell you that I will be watching you, waiting for an opportunity to finish this." She opens her mouth to ask exactly how he plans on doing that, but he speaks over her. "And Kate? There is nothing you can do to stop me." He pauses for a moment, and she grits her teeth. She hears his breathing on the other end of the line, but, after a moment, she realized she really has nothing to say to him. Not yet, anyway. That will come. She doesn't know when, but she knows it's inevitable.

She is snapped out of her thoughts when he finally speaks again. "And do me a favor," he says, "tell Castle his daddy says hi."

 _Click_. He's gone. And as she stared at he phone, she realizes he is so much more than a lieutenant. Is he LOCKSAT? Has her quarry been right next to her the whole time?

She looks over to Ryan hopefully, but the detective shakes his head. Right, she'd known it wasn't going to work. It's over… for today.

She stays a few extra minutes to check with the Public Defender's office, and she isn't surprised to find out that there was no Ms. Sheila Randall working there or ever had. The woman was a character, just part of Vikram's plan. They gave her enough information to make her jump and then left her with a dead end. She has been so taken in by this guy. _Maybe Castle was right_ , she thinks, _this is an obsession, and somewhere deep down I didn't mind. I liked being broken._ "Not anymore," she muttered softly to herself. "Never again." Vikram had used her weakness against her, and it had nearly cost her both her marriage and her life.

She had survived, though. And she could still save her marriage. It's time to make amends.

* * *

"Castle, are you here?" Kate calls as she walks in the door to the loft.

"In the study" he answers.

She puts her things down on the counter and walks back to find him. "Rick, we need to talk" she says solemnly. She regrets her tone as soon as she sees the pained expression appear on his face. "No, no nothing like that," she rushes to reassure him.

He seems to relax slightly, but his brow furrows, and he gets up from his desk. Putting the papers he's been looking at back in the top drawer, he takes her hand and leads her to the couch in the living room. There's a bottle of wine on the coffee table with two glasses. Castle pours.

Once they're both comfortably settled, Kate starts. "Vikram called me just before I left."

Castle tenses immediately. "Are you kidding me?"

"He just wanted to taunt me," she replies, almost dismissively, "to continue to control me like he has for the last few months." She pauses and takes a drink. Vikram isn't what she wanted to talk about, really. But she continues to stare into her glass, not quite able to find the words, and she can't bring herself to look at Castle either.

He senses her inner struggle, however. "What is it Kate?" he asks tenderly.

It takes her a few more moments to gather her thoughts. And all the while, he waits patiently. Too patiently. She'll never understand why he waits for her, always waiting and never giving up on her. She knows she doesn't deserve it, deserve him. But she's glad, no, more than that. She's grateful to him for waiting for her.

Finally she wills herself to speak. Best to start with the most important thing. "I'm so very sorry," she says, and she puts all the sincerity and regret she can possibly muster into those few words. "I can't believe how much I hurt you. All for my," she swallows, "obsession."

Rick takes her hand and squeezed it softly, looking at her compassionately as he does so, but he doesn't interrupt.

"I was wrong in how I handled things," she continues. "I should never have shut you out. You are my partner, and I didn't act like yours." She can feel the tears on her face now, but she manages to add, "It won't happen again. I promise you that." She hopes he can hear her conviction.

She's not sure if he's just waiting for her to finish or if it's because of the hurt she caused, but Castle says nothing back to her. He's just facing her, not angry, but not smiling. Just watching her, listening.

So she keeps going. "I told you once, I was broken. And I still am. But one thing you said, you said I like being broken. And maybe I did before but now, Rick, babe, I don't. I want to get fixed."

His eyes soften, but he still doesn't say anything. "I have to get fixed," she adds, determined, "for myself and for us, Rick." She takes a breath. "So I am going back to meeting with Dr. Burke."

"Oh?" She must have startled that response from him. She smiles a little.

"Yes. I actually started this afternoon. He got me in for an appointment." She pauses and then continues, "He helped me through my feelings for you after I got shot. He helped me realize how much I need you, how much I love you. I think he can help me with this, too." She chokes up on the last words, and suddenly she can't keep herself from sobbing.

As she starts to break down, Rick pulls the wine glass out of her hand and puts both hers and his on the table. He pulls her close to him, doing what he can to calm her. It takes a while, but when she does eventually calm down, he pulls back to look her in the eyes. "I want to help too," he says, and it's so tender she wants to start crying again. But before she can he leans into kiss her gently. It's exactly what she needs at that moment. To be wrapped up in him and his forgiveness. He always knows what she needs.

* * *

Rick and Kate just sit there for a while, not saying anything, just him holding her and each soaking in the love each has for the other. Castle sighs contentedly. He has his wife back, and he couldn't be happier about that.

Her apology is easy enough to accept. No matter how angry he gets with her, he will always forgive Kate. He loves her. It really is as simple as that. Her promise to never shut him out again, however, is quite a bit harder to believe in. She's let him in only to push him away time and time again. And she had promised him no more secrets only hours before walking out on him. It's been an emotional roller-coaster that he desperately wants off of. He doesn't think it's healthy for either one of them.

But Kate has to be the one to change it. She said she was going to, and he wants to believe her. But can he really trust her to break the cycle? Then again, he wants her to be able to trust him with everything, so maybe he needs to trust her with this. Even if it goes against reason, considering their track record, he _chooses_ to believe her, and to act on that belief.

So when they finally start to move to get up and off the couch, he stops when she says it again. "Rick, I _am_ sorry."

He reaches up to brush her hair from her face and cradle her neck. He's appreciative of the regret she's expressed over the hurt she caused, but he _has_ forgiven her. However, he's already starting to realize that she may have a harder time forgiving herself. "I know Kate," he tells her, kissing her forehead, then pulling her into a hug. "No more apologies."

She nods into his chest. But as they head off into their bedroom, he notices her tense up again. "What is it, Kate?"

She looks up at him, and there's a fear in her eyes that he rarely sees. "Rick, nothing's changed," she says. "Vikram's out of custody. I still have a target on my back, and now so do you. What keeps them from… just killing us?"

He is surprised by her vulnerability, or rather, surprised by her willingness to share that side of her, even with him. He's never seen that part of her before, but he's glad she's giving him the chance to do so. He once told her he would spend the rest of his life figuring out the mystery of her. And those words have proven true. Still, despite his musings, he doesn't hesitate. Castle takes her into his arms, and looks into her eyes reassuringly. For him, it's an easy answer. "We do, Kate," he says. "Together. Always."

* * *

 **I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story, and especially to those of you who have favorited, followed, and reviewed. There will be a sequel - I am not quite sure when, but it is coming! Thanks again!**


End file.
